A Pakistani cleric who accused a young Christian girl of blasphemy in
a case that sparked international concern was remanded in custody
Sunday on suspicion of evidence-tampering and desecrating the Koran.

The girl, Rimsha, has been held in prison since being arrested in the
poor Islamabad suburb of Mehrabad more than two weeks ago accused of
burning papers containing verses from the Koran, in breach of Pakistan’s
strict blasphemy laws.

A medical report last week said she had a mental age of less than 14
and her case has prompted concern among Western governments and anger
from rights groups who say Pakistan’s strict blasphemy legislation is
often abused to settle personal scores.

Hafiz
Mohammed Khalid Chishti, the imam of the mosque in Rimsha’s area, who
first gave police the burned papers as evidence against her, was
detained by police on Saturday evening.